Celts of the Caribbean
by honeyjadecladdagh
Summary: When the Celtic Thunder cruise is interrupted by Davy Jones and his crew, the lads receive help from some former colleagues, as well as some new friends.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1 - It's the Flying Dutchman! **

The sun hovered over the horizon in the pink and yellow evening sky. Cold air mixed with equally cold metal as Ryan Kelly gripped the railing he was leaning on. It was the first night of the Celtic Thunder Anniversary cruise. Ryan still couldn't believe the band was officially ten years old. As the sun continued to fall, Ryan decided to call it a night. He straightened up and was about to head back to his room when something in the water caught his eye. Leaning over the railing, he peered closely at the waves. Was it his imagination or was the tip of a mast slowly rising out of the water?

Startled, Ryan leapt back from the railing as the waves rose high into the air with a great splash and a huge ship surfaced. The ship was unlike any Ryan had seen before. It was extremely tall and looked old enough to be in a museum. The front was shaped like a crocodile's mouth and the wood was green with decay, yet still looked strong and sturdy, and the sails were green-grey and fraying at the ends. The crew gathered at the side facing the cruise ship, snarling ferociously. They were covered in fish, seaweed, barnacles, shells and all sorts of things you would find in the sea. One man in particular stood out and Ryan couldn't help feeling there was something familiar about him. The man wore a captain's hat and had the face of an octopus.

"Davy Jones" Ryan murmured under his breath.

The gun ports lining the side of the ship flew open and canons peered out through the openings. Ryan immediately sprinted down the steps to the lido deck. Many passengers were there, staring at the ship in both fear and amazement. A handful of them scattered as soon as the cannons appeared. "Everyone, inside!" Ryan yelled in a commanding tone. He had to get them to safety and warn their captain.

An ear-shattering bang echoed all around them and the ship shuddered. All of a sudden, everyone began screaming and running for cover. Ryan glanced back at the ship and noticed a cloud of smoke billowing form one of the cannons.

The inside of the cruise ship was even more chaotic. People were running around aimlessly in a frantic state, screaming in terror. Tables and chairs were overturned carelessly in their haste and the air was alive with the sounds of rushing feet and panicked voices. As Ryan turned a corner down one of the few hallways that were empty, he ran straight into Neil Byrne, one of his fellow singers. "Ryan!" Neil cried. "What's going on?"

"We're under attack!" Ryan told him. "By the Flying Dutchman!"

Neil stared at him with a look of confusion, which quickly changed to amusement. "Oh, come on, Ry. That's impossi-" Neil cut himself off and seemed to have noticed something behind his band mate. Something that, judging by his expression, was not good.

Ryan was about to turn and see what Neil was looking at when he suddenly felt a sharp pain in the back of his head. Then the world went dark.


	2. Davy Jones

**Chapter 2 - Davy Jones**

When Ryan came to, he found himself lying propped up against the wall in a dark room. Groaning, he sat up and rubbed the back of his head where a small lump was starting to form. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, Ryan realised the room he was in was the captain's cabin. And he wasn't alone. Beside him lay his fellow singers Neil Byrne, Emmet Cahill, Damian McGinty and Michael O'Dwyer, all of whom were out cold. The sky outside was pitch black and the moonlight poured into the room through the window. A desk sat in front of the large pane of glass and Ryan thought he could see someone lying down on it.

After much fumbling along the walls, Ryan finally found the light switch and illuminated the room with a bright yellow light. "Oh my god!" Ryan exclaimed when he saw who was lying on the desk. It was the captain, dead, with blood gushing out of a gunshot wound in the side of his head.

The sudden brightness seemed to rouse the other singers, as they all began to stir. "Now Ryan, what's the idea of waking us up like this?" Emmet demanded. He froze when he noticed the dead body. "Is that...the captain?"

Ryan nodded solemnly. "Are you guys ok?"

Emmet frowned at him. "We're stuck in a room with a dead body and no idea how we got here and you're asking if we're ok?!"

"Yeah, how did we get in here?" asked Damian. "I mean, what happened?"

"I had the weirdest dream" said Michael. "I dreamt our ship was attacked by the Flying Dutchman. Then Davy Jones captured us and locked us in here."

"Well, that's what you get for watching Pirates of the Caribbean before bedtime" Neil admonished.

"Uh...I hate to burst your bubble," Ryan said cautiously, "but I don't think that was a dream."

"What makes you say that?" asked Emmet.

Before Ryan could respond, the sound of heavy footsteps in the hall outside filled their ears, growing closer and closer. Then the doorknob jiggled and twisted before it flew open and in walked the very pirate they had all heard of but never believed they would be unfortunate enough to meet.

"Ho-lee crap!" Damian gasped as Davy Jones marched into the room, staring them down menacingly through narrowed eyes.

Everyone stared back at him, trying not to show they were petrified. Unfortunately, Michael failed miserably at this and began trembling violently as if he had just been sentenced to death in the most brutal way possible. Davy Jones knelt in front of the singer so that they were face to face and asked "Do you fear death?"

"You have no idea" Michael muttered. Davy Jones gave a soft chuckle that sent a chill down his spine.

"Leave him alone!" Neil said in a commanding voice.

Davy Jones began to advance on the man but his path was blocked by the other four singers who jumped up to defend their colleague. "What do you want with us?" Emmet demanded.

"This ship," Jones said after a brief pause, "is under my command now."

"W-what do you mean?"

"I am the sea. I command it and all that occurs in and upon it. And now, I command this ship." He then summoned two of his crew members who came rushing in to heed his call. One of them had his head shaped like that of a hammer-head shark and the other was completely covered in seaweed. "Throw the body overboard" Jones ordered, pointing to the dead captain with a claw-shaped hand.

Unceremoniously, the crewmen picked up the captain and carried him out of the room. "And don't even think of trying to escape. My men have this place covered from top to bottom" Jones warned before he left the room, locking the door behind him.

Everyone heaved a sigh of relief when Jones was gone.

"Well, this is just brilliant!" Ryan said sarcastically. "The cruise has barely started and already there's trouble."

"We've got to get off this ship and get help" Emmet said.

"But how?" asked Michael. "You heard old fish face. There are pirates all over this ship."

Someone thumped loudly on the door. "We can hear you in there!" a voice yelled.

"Sorry!" Michael yelled back.

"We can try calling the coast guard" Neil suggested in a hushed voice. Everyone checked their phones. There was no signal. "Well, bang goes that idea. Anybody have another?"

"I've got an idea" Damian said. "One of us can climb out the window, sneak into the radio room and send out an S.O.S". After talking it over, everyone agreed it was worth a try. "So, who's going to do it?" All heads turned in Damian's direction. "Me?!"

"Well, it was your idea" Emmet pointed out.

Damian sighed. "Fine." After making sure the coast was clear, he pried open the window and launched himself out.

The other singers had no idea what transpired after Damian left but, five minutes later, when they heard a scuffle at the door and Damian's voice shouting "Let me go!" they figured he couldn't have gotten very far. The door flew open and Damian was shoved inside. "Sorry, guys. They caught me before I could get anywhere near the radio room."

"Well, at least you tried" Neil said, trying to hide his disappointment.

"Why don't we get some sleep?" Ryan suggested. "It's late and we won't be able to think straight if we're all exhausted."

So, they all curled up on the floor and shut their eyes, allowing themselves to be dragged into a dreamless sleep.


	3. Not more pirates!

**Chapter 3 - Not more pirates!**

Caroline Torti stood at the helm of her ship, the Black Dahlia, a magnificent black vessel with its namesake flower sewn in white thread onto a black flag. She was dressed in the garb of a pirate, featuring a red blouse with sleeves rolled up to the elbows, a black corset, black trousers, black knee-high boots with red laces and a tricorn hat. Her long wavy dark hair was streaked red and in a belt she carried a sword and pistol. Julianne Reilly, her second-in-command, stood beside her, her long golden hair floating on the wind, and the deck below was filled with Celtic Thunder's former band members and dancers: Joyce and Ruth O'Leary, Megan Sherwood, Hayley-Jo Murphy, Laura Durrant, Zara Curtis, Stephan Dickson, Taylor James, Ethan LaFleur, Adam Lopapa and Justin Lopez.

The Black Dahlia was approaching the cruise ship that was overrun with Davy Jones's crew and Caroline exchanged glares with them.

"Orders, Captain?" Julianne asked.

Keeping her eyes fixed on the ship, Caroline uttered the simple command: "Fire".

The five singers leapt up from the floor as the sound of cannon fire filled the air. "What the heck was that?!" Neil cried.

Damian ran over to the window to peer outside and his eyes widened in surprise. "I don't believe it! There's a ship crewed by our former musicians and dancers attacking Jones's crew. There's Julianne, Laura, Zara, all of them!"

Emmet's ears perked up. "Is Hayley-Jo Murphy with them?"

Damian scanned the crowd on the deck as the other lads looked at Emmet suspiciously. "Uh...yes, I think so."

"Oh God, I can't let her see me like this! Does anybody have a comb?" Emmet asked, suddenly becoming interested in making himself look presentable, straightening his hair and clothes.

Neil chuckled. "Careful, guy. She's Damian's girlfriend."

"That was for the show!" Damian reminded him. "My real girlfriend is Anna Claire Sneed, remember?"

"Sooooo...does that mean Hayley's available?"

Ryan slapped Emmet hard on the back of his head. "Will you guys get a grip?! We've got more important things to worry about, like getting ourselves the hell out of here!"

Just then, the sounds of a gunshot and splintering wood filled the room. Everyone stared at the door in fear as it slowly swung open. The lock had been blown off and it didn't take a genius to figure out who the culprit was when a woman dressed in red and black brandishing a pistol entered the room. "Celtic Thunder, I presume."

"Who the blithering bloody heck are you?!" asked the very bewildered Michael. Real subtle.

"Caroline Torti" the woman introduced herself.

"I remember you!" Damian said. "You sung Jesse James in our show It's Entertainment."

"And you played my sister in our Storm show" Ryan added. "It's great to see you again, Caroline. Allow me to introduce our new members, Emmet Cahill and Michael O'Dwyer." He gestured to the two younger singers who waved nervously. "What are you doing here, Caroline?"

"Rescuing you from Davy Jones, of course. My crew and I have been tracking the Flying Dutchman for several months."

Damian raised an eyebrow. "Your crew?"

Caroline nodded. "Yep. I gave up my career as a dancer to take up a life of piracy. But now, enough about me. Let's get you guys out of here. We're going to need all the help we can get."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa" Emmet said, holding up a hand. "What do you mean?"

She smiled. "We're going to kick Davy Jones off this ship and back into the sea."

Outside, the lido deck had become a battlefield. Pirates charged all over the place, yelling and brandishing weapons. The sheen of steel on steel accompanied by the firing of pistols was deafening. Caroline managed to find a few discarded swords and handed them to the singers before rushing off to join the fray. The lads stared at the swords in their hands for several seconds. Then, letting out a battle-cry, they charged into the crowd.

Pirate against pirate (and singer), the two opposing sides struggled and fought against their enemies. Many of the passengers also came pouring out onto the deck to help purge the ship of its attackers. Amid the sounds of battle could be heard the theme song from Pirates of the Caribbean could be heard. As Caroline struck down a member of Jones's crew, the music filled her ears and she frowned. "What the heck? Who put this on?"

Not far from where she stood, a stage had been set up for the outdoor shows. There, a DJ had set up his music equipment and the Pirates of the Caribbean music blared from two huge speakers. Caroline grabbed the pistol from her belt and shot both speakers, much to the DJ's dismay. "In case you haven't noticed," she shouted at him, "we're in the middle of a battle, and it would be a lot easier to concentrate if you weren't playing that stupid music!"

The battle continued well into the morning with no sign of ending soon. The lads quickly grew accustomed to wielding a sword and, working like a team as always, they fought their way to victory. At some point, the once sunny sky became cloudy and a light rainfall began, growing heavier with each passing hour. A strong gale howled fiercely and the waves leapt high into the air and onto the deck, spraying everyone with their salty foam. As the storm grew more wild, the ship began to rock left and right, to and fro, being tossed by the fierce waves.

As the cruise ship was tilted to the left, causing the lads to stumble over towards the railing, a great torrent of water picked them up, tossing them into the sea. The boys kicked and thrashed about in the water, screaming for help at the top of their lungs, but their desperate calls were drowned out by the storm. Soon, the lads grew too weak to continue battling the waves and allowed the sea to carry them away.


	4. Isla de fan girls

**Chapter 4 - Isla de fan girls**

When Ryan opened his eyes, the first thing he noticed was that he was lying on the beach of an island he had never seen before with Damian and Neil beside him. The sand was a soft and fine as sugar and the sound of waves lapping against the shore was comforting. It was so peaceful that Ryan was happy to stay here forever, lying on the beach without a care in the world. But some small voice in the back of Ryan's head stubbornly urged him to get up and check to see if his two colleagues were alright. Reluctantly, Ryan pulled himself up off the floor, brushed the sand off his clothes and examined his surroundings. The sea was in front of him. Behind him and to his left was a dense green jungle. And to his right...

"Guys, wake up!" he said urgently, shaking Neil and Damian.

Groaning, the other two singers sat up and looked around them, dazed. "Oh God, now where are we?" Damian moaned.

"Never mind that. There's something you guys need to see. Now!" Ryan pulled the men to their feet and led them to the right side of the island where Damian and Neil quickly discovered what Ryan had been so desperate to show them. It was a huge black pirate ship, much like Caroline's, except with a skull and crossbones instead of a white dahlia on a black flag. Their jaws dropped at the sight of it.

"It looks just like the Black Pearl from Pirates of the Caribbean" Neil remarked.

"I think it IS the Black Pearl" Ryan said. "The question is: what is it doing here?"

"I have a better question. Well, three actually" said Damian. "Firstly: where are we? Secondly: how did we get here? And thirdly: where in the hell are Emmet and Michael?!"

"Well, the sea must've washed us up he- wait" Neil paused. "Emmet and Michael are missing? Where are they?!"

"That's what I just asked" Damian reminded him.

"Ok, let's all just calm down" said Ryan. "They can't have gone far. We'll just have to look for them. We can start searching in the jungle." And they set off into the trees.

The jungle was eerily quiet. The only sounds came from Ryan, Damian and Neil as they trudged through the immense greenery, pushing past trees and bushes, searching for their lost friends. The silence was a little unnerving to the three men. They had expected to see or at least hear some signs of island wildlife, but not a single parrot was in sight.

"Does anyone else feel like we're being watched?" Damian suddenly asked when they came to a small clearing. The question stopped Ryan and Neil in their tracks. Now that Damian mentioned it, the feeling of having hundreds of pairs of eyes on them were unmistakable. But this couldn't be. They were in a jungle on a remote island in the middle of the sea. They were completely alone. Or...were they?"

"A movement from a nearby tree caught Damian's eye. He turned his head and looked closely. Was it his imagination or was there a pair of eyes staring back at him?

Without any warning, an island warrior sprang towards Damian with a spine-chilling yell and something tightened around his ankles. The next thing Damian new, he was hanging upside down from the branch of a tree by his feet. Then more islanders emerged from the trees, all of them wielding spears and looking fierce.

"Back off!" Neil yelled, holding up his fists. "I'm warning you, I know karate! Bruce Lee was my mentor!" This was a complete lie. Neil had never even seen the inside of a karate studio, let alone taken lessons, and Bruce Lee had died long before Neil was born.

Ryan, who had been holding his hands up in surrender with a fearful expression etched onto his face, now lowered his arms and smiled. "Guys, I don't think there's any need to panic."

Neil and Damian stared at him as if he had lost his mind. "Ryan, we're under attack here!" Damian said. "If that's not a reason to panic, I don't know what is!"

"Damian, haven't you noticed? These islanders are all women! I've got this." Ryan strolled towards the group of dusky maidens and gave them his best bad-boy look: tall posture, eyes slightly narrowed and a leering smile. The maidens suddenly lowered their weapons and stared at him, agape. "Come now, ladies, there's no need to be attacking my friends and me. We're just three innocent travellers, stranded on your island. If you would have the goodness to take us to your leader, we would be most grateful." As Ryan said this, he casually threw an arm around the nearest girl and winked seductively.

The girls all squealed in delight and giggled to one another. After untying Damian, the maidens beckoned to the men to follow them. "That was impressive, Ryan" Neil said, giving him a small nudge.

Ryan shrugged. "What can I say? They don't call me the heartthrob of our group for nothing."

The three men were led by the island maidens through the jungle and up into the mountains in the distance where a small native village was tucked away. Upon closer inspection, the men discovered that the village was populated entirely by women. As Ryan, Neil and Damian entered the village, the women began pointing at them, giggling and chattering excitedly to each other.

They were led to a type of square where all the villagers gathered. There sat two men on wooden thrones decorated with skulls. One of them was dressed in the garb of a pirate. He was covered in face paint and on his head he wore some sort of odd crown. The man next to him was also smothered in face paint but, despite this, he looked very familiar. "Paul?" Ryan asked, staring at him. "Paul Byrom?"

The man raised an eyebrow, then a smile stretched across his face. "Ryan! Neil! Damian!" he cried, rushing forward to meet his ex-colleagues.

"Paul, what are you doing here?" Damian inquired. "And...what are you wearing?"

"What? What's wrong with my outfit?" Paul said, giving his clothes a brief glance. Paul looked relatively normal from the waist up, clad in a pale grey, yet slightly ragged, button-down shirt. Blow that, however, he wore a loincloth that reached just below his knees, showing off toned legs.

"I mean, the shirt is ok" said Damian, "but...the loincloth? Really?"

Paul puffed out his chest indignantly. "I'll have you know, the ladies find it very fetching."

"Mister Byrom" the other man said as he rose from his seat and approached him. His voice sounded exactly like Jack Sparrow. "When you're quite finished, perhaps you'd care to tell me who these gentlemen are, seeing as you already know them."

"Oh, sorry. Mister Sparrow, allow me to introduce my friends Ryan Kelly, Neil Byrne and Damian McGinty. Lads, this is Jack Sparrow."

Neil's jaw dropped. "What, THE Jack Sparrow? The captain of the Black Pearl?"

"Ah, you've heard of me?" Jack asked?

"You could say that" Ryan muttered.

"Well, boys, welcome to my tribe. I see you have learnt the trick to the hearts of these ladies" Jack continued (Ryan still had his arm around the maiden). "Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for my crew" and he gestured towards a nearby tree which a group of men sat around, tied up. They were the members of Jack's crew: Gibbs, Cotton, Marty, Pintel and Ragetti. Even Barbossa was there.

"Well, in me defence, Sparrow" Barbossa said huffily, "when yer under attack, flirtin' isn't exactly yer top priority."

Jack ignored Barbossa and addressed the crowd. "Ladies, prepare a bonfire for the celebration!" At once, the island maidens set to work, gathering firewood and piling it up. Meanwhile, Jack and Paul invited the visitors to come and sit with them and talk.

"We have a lot to catch up on" Paul said. "First, how did you lads get here?"

"Well, it happened like this.." Ryan said as he, Neil and Damian began their story.


	5. An unexpected encounter

**Chapter 5 - An unexpected encounter**

A short distance away on the beach, a blonde surfer, Keith, was standing on the shore, a surfboard tucked under his arm as he scanned the ocean. He positioned his board, ready to catch the first wave, when a noise from the jungle caught his attention. It sounded like a cry for help. Slightly annoyed at having been distracted, Keith wandered into the trees to investigate. After a few minutes of navigating his way through the jungle, he finally discovered the source of the noise, which wasn't exactly what he had expected. A young man was caught in the jaws of some giant plant that looked like it belonged in a Super Mario game.

"Keith Harkin?" the man asked upon noticing him.

The surfer raised his eyebrows as he recognised the lad. "Emmet Cahill! What a nice surprise!"

"Thank God!" Emmet gasped. "I thought I would be a goner!"

"Relax, Em. The plant's just being friendly."

"_FRIENDLY?!_ This thing is trying to eat me!"

Keith rolled his eyes. "Geez, talk about overreacting. Alright, I'll help you out. Luckily for you, I've brought my secret weapon."

Emmet frowned, wondering what this so-called secret weapon could possibly be. The only thing Keith possessed that looked like it could be used as a weapon was his surfboard, and Emmet was highly doubtful that it would be any match for a giant plant monster with jaws that would make a shark wet itself. Keith, meanwhile, calmly placed his surfboard on the ground and stood with his heels together. Curling his left hand into a fist, he pressed his knuckles to the palm of his right hand and bowed, the way a contestant in a kung-fu tournament might do before beating the crap out of their opponent. It must be confessed that he took his own sweet time doing this.

"In your own time, Harkin!" Emmet yelled.

Suddenly, Keith's eyes flew open and, letting out a kamikaze scream, he performed a running, jumping, flying scissor-kick.

Back in the village, a celebration had gotten underway. While some villagers prepared a bonfire, others danced around to the beating of the drums and the visitors exchanged their stories. Suddenly, a deafening scream rang out from the forest. The celebration came to an abrupt standstill.

"What the hell was that?" Neil whispered.

Just then, an island maiden carrying a spear came rushing into the village. She looked very excited. "Harkin hottie! Harkin hottie!" she cried, pointing towards the jungle. All the girls looked at Jack enquiringly.

"Well, go on. Go get him!" Jack commanded. The villagers all cheered in agreement and raced out of the village, leaving the men on their own.

"What do you suppose they meant by 'Harkin hottie'?" Neil asked.

"Keith Harkin!" Ryan cried. "He must be here as well! That must be who they're going after!"

"Hey, Jack, what are you doing?" Paul asked.

Neil, Damian and Ryan turned to look at Jack who was advancing on the captives with his sword drawn. In one fell swoop, he sliced the rope that bound them to the tree. His crew immediately leapt to their feet, discarding the cut rope. "Well, that took ye long enough, Sparrow!" Barbossa spat.

"I'll have you know, Hector, I had every intention of setting you free" Jack defended himself. "I was just waiting until the islanders were out of the way. Now, I suggest all of you get out of here while you still can."

"Why? What's the danger?" asked Damian.

"Trust me, lad, there be a great storm of danger comin' your way" Barbossa warned. "See, the wenches of this island share an odd belief: that, by devourin' the flesh of attractive men and women, they will preserve their own beauty."

Neil cringed. "Yeesh! Fan girls AND cannibals? That's a pretty dangerous combination."

"It is, that" Jack agreed. "Which is why I advise all of you to start running. Like this!" And with that, he turned on his heel and sprinted out of the village.

"Well, you heard him" Gibbs said after a long silence. "Let's get out of here!"

The Black Dahlia drifted lazily on the waves several yards away from the island. The crew on board watched as Caroline sailed toward to the shore in a longboat. After a vicious battle with Davy Jones, Caroline and her crew had managed to draw him away from the cruise ship. Caroline was now hell-bent on finding the Celtic Thunder lads. She had noticed they were missing and figured they must have been swept out to sea. This island was the closest one for several miles and was as good a place as any to start searching.

As the little boat reached the shore, Caroline climbed out and looked around. The first thing she noticed was the huge black ship. The Black Pearl. Caroline's heart leapt. "Jack Sparrow must be here" she said quietly to herself. During her time at sea, she had met and befriended Jack Sparrow and his crew. If they were on the island, they might be able to help her. Cupping her hands around her mouth, she yelled at the top of her lungs "Jack! Jack Sparrow!" There was no answer. She frowned and tried again. "Marty! Cotton! Anybody?" Still her calls went answered. It seemed the ship had been abandoned. Her only option was to search the jungle for them.

She had just turned in the direction of the jungle when a group of men came crashing through the trees, straight towards her. It happened so suddenly that Caroline had no time to jump out of the way and one of the men, a tall and beefy fellow, crashed into her, sending them both tumbling to the ground.

"Oh, my apologies, Miss!" the man apologised, helping Caroline to her feet.

"It's ok. No harm d-" Caroline paused and stared at him. "Mr Gibbs?"

"Caroline Torti!" Gibbs cried.

Caroline smiled as she looked around at the men accompanying Mr Gibbs and recalled their faces. There was Jack's crew and with them were Ryan, Neil, Damian and Paul. "I'm so happy to see you guys. And...Paul, what are you wearing?" she asked, then immediately changed her mind. "Actually, don't answer that."

"'Tis a pleasure to be meetin' ye again, Miss Torti" Barbossa said.

"'Ello, Poppet" said Pintel, giving a small wave.

"How did you get here?" Damian asked her.

"My crew and I managed to drive Davy Jones off the cruise ship" Caroline explained. "Jones wasn't too happy about that and, the next thing we knew, the Flying Dutchman was giving chase. Luckily, we managed to outrun them. Now, we need to get off this island before they catch up.

"Wait" Neil said. "What about Michael and Emmet? They're still in the jungle somewhere."

"Then I'll go and look for them" Caroline volunteered. "You guys get the ship ready to take off." Then Caroline turned and dashed into the trees.


	6. Dashing through the trees

**Chapter 6 - Dashing through the trees**

In a small clearing of the jungle, Emmet was sitting under a large palm tree, a safe distance away from the plant that had attacked him. After Keith had rescued him, the surfer had had a sudden urgency to make a swift exit. Emmet was rather disheartened by this, as seeing Keith had sparked some hope in the younger lad. He had hoped, at the very least, that Keith might help him find the other four singers. But, with Keith now gone, Emmet had a feeling it would be some time before he even came close to finding his friends and getting off the island.

The sun blazed down on him through the branches overhead. Emmet reached up to wipe the sweat from his forehead. The heat was brutal and his mouth felt like sandpaper. He decided that, if he planned on getting searching for his friends, he would first need to find some water and food to prevent himself from dying of hunger and dehydration. After a few minutes of combing the jungle, he finally came to a small stream filled with crystal clear water. To say that Emmet was relieved would be an understatement. The water tasted divine as he took a big gulp, then splashed some of the cool liquid over his face.

"Emmet?"

The young singer lifted his head and smiled. "Michael! Am I glad to see you!"

"The same to you, buddy" Michael replied as he moved to sit beside Emmet. "Have you seen anyone yet? Ryan or Neil or Damian?"

Emmet shook his head. "No. But I did see Keith Harkin earlier."

"Keith Harkin? The guy who recently quit Celtic Thunder? What's he doing here?"

Emmet shrugged. "I don't know. He's probably here on holiday."

They sat there for a while, baking in the sunlight, when they suddenly became aware of a noise in the distance. It sounded like somebody calling their names. "Maybe it's one of the lads" Emmet suggested. They both sprang to their feet and and raced through the trees towards the voice. Soon, a slight figure came into view. The figure appeared to be dressed in red and black, and the boys could just make out its long dark hair beneath the tricorn hat.

"Caroline!" the boys cried, running towards her.

Caroline seemed to have noticed them as well and ran towards them. "Thank god you guys are safe!" Caroline said as soon as they were face to face. "The others will be so glad to see you."

"The others?" Michael repeated. "You've seen our friends?"

"Yes. They're all on the beach. Now, come on. We have to get you guys off this island, quickly!"

"Hang on a minute" said Michael. "How did you get here?"

"I'll explain later" Caroline replied. "Davy Jones is searching for you. We need to get away from here before he..." She paused and seemed to be listening for something.

Confused, the boys listened as well and soon caught the sound of screaming. Not the bad kind that one might hear from somebody who has just been frightened. It sounded more...excited. Like a horde of fan girls. A movement out of the corner of Caroline's eye caught her attention and she turned her head to see what it was. The boys followed her gaze and their jaws dropped at what they saw. A blonde man, dressed only in shorts and sandals, was running through the forest at a speed fast enough to rival Usain Bolt, closely followed by a group of squealing, deeply bronzed women. Caroline, Emmet and Michael watched as the man and his admirers ran straight past them without so much as a side-glance.

"Was that...Keith Harkin?" Caroline asked.

"I think it was" said Emmet.

"Huh. It seems he's got fans wherever he goes. Although..." Caroline gazed in the direction Keith had ran. "I can't say I blame them."

Michael cleared his throat impatiently. "Ahem. I can't help remembering we were advised to leave this island in a hurry."

Keith sped on through the forest, leaping over tree roots and fallen trunks as he tried to put as much distance between him and the island maidens as possible. He was really starting to regret coming to this island. It had seemed like a good idea at the time, taking a break away from civilization in this tropical paradise. After a few run-ins with the natives, however, he was beginning to wonder whether he would have been better off staying at home.

By some stroke of genius, he managed to manoeuvre his way through the jungle vegetation and take refuge in a clump of bushes. He heard the islanders talking confusedly to one another, wondering where he had disappeared to. Suddenly, from not far away, there came a scream and a rustling of leaves as Jack Sparrow lost his footing on the branch of the tree he was hiding in and fell to the ground with a thud. He had scurried up the tree on impulse when he heard the natives approaching and had hoped he would be able to stay up there until they were gone.

Uttering profanities under his breath, Jack climbed to his feet and brushed himself off. He froze as he suddenly felt several pairs of eyes on him. Slowly turning around, he saw all the island maidens staring at him. "Oh bugger."


	7. Escape

**Chapter 7 - Escape**

Back on the beach, the crew were rushing around frantically, preparing to set sail. Ryan, Neil, Cotton, Pintel, Ragetti and Barbossa were already on deck while Damian and Paul were helping Gibbs to loosen the mooring lines. Damian looked up as he heard the crunching of feet on the sand and smiled when he saw Caroline running towards them with Emmet and Michael in tow. "Guys! You're ok!" he cried.

Emmet started at the sight of the ship. "Is...is that...?"

"The Black Pearl?" Damian finished his sentence for him. "Yes it is."

"But, how...where...what?"

"Escape first, explain later" Caroline muttered, pushing Emmet and Michael towards the ship.

"Wait!" Gibbs shouted.

Caroline rolled her eyes. "Oh sweet Jesus, what now?!"

"What about Jack? He's still out there!"

"Jack? As in...Jack Sparrow, the pirate?" Michael asked.

"Yes, Jack Sparrow the pirate" Caroline confirmed. "And if you think I'm going back to look for him, Master Gibbs, you can think again!"

"We can't just leave him here at the mercy of the natives" Paul argued. "They'll make mincemeat out of him!"

"Literally" Gibbs added.

"Guys, this is Jack Sparrow we're talking about" Caroline reminded them. "He can escape from a room without doors. He'll be fine."

But Gibbs wouldn't budge. "I am not leaving this island without Jack."

"Neither am I" said Paul.

Caroline was beginning to contemplate leaving them behind with Jack when a shout drew their attention to the other side of the island. They turned to see Jack run around a corner, towards them. Everyone gave a relieved smile which quickly faded when they saw he wasn't alone. The entire village of fan-girls/cannibals was running after him.

"Never mind, let's go" Paul said, sprinting towards the ship. "Nice knowing you, Jack."

"Cast off those lines!" Gibbs yelled as he and the others began climbing up the rope net hanging over the side of the ship. "Make ready to cast off!"

Screaming in fear, Jack ran towards the ship faster than he had ever ran before, arms flailing wildly. Grabbing hold of the net rope, he began scrambling up onto the deck. When he was halfway up, he looked over his shoulder to see the natives standing at the water's edge, yelling their disappointment. Grinning triumphantly, Jack turned towards them and said "Alas, my children! This is the day you shall always remember as the day that you almost..." His speech was cut short as a huge wave washed over him drenching him from head to foot, as if the sea was telling him to shut up. "Captain Jack Sparrow" he finished before climbing the rest of the way up.

At that moment, Keith emerged from the jungle. "Hey, what'd I miss?" he called cheerfully, then immediately wished he hadn't.

All heads turned in his direction and a grin spread across the faces of the island maidens. Whatever they were thinking, Keith was sure he wouldn't like it. The forest on the other side of the beach was just visible in his peripheral vision. Keith reckoned he could do a lot worse than make a quick dash in that direction. A moment's silence followed as Keith and the islanders stared at each other, seemingly frozen in time. Then there was a mad scramble as Keith made a beeline for the trees, the islanders chasing after him.


	8. I have an idea

**Chapter 8 - "I have an idea"**

The two ships drifted slowly across the water, side by side. Julianne was at the wheel of the Black Dahlia and Gibbs was at the wheel of the Black Pearl. Pintel, Ragetti, Cotton and Marty were performing various tasks on the deck, assisted by Ryan, Neil and Damian, while Barbossa and Jack shouted orders, clearly battling for dominance over the crew. Up at the helm, Caroline and Paul stood with Emmet and Michael, each giving the lads a brief rundown of their adventures and how they came to be acquainted with Jack Sparrow. Apparently, Paul had ran into the natives of the island while on holiday there. They had been hostile at first, but Paul managed to win them over with his incredible singing voice and Jack, who was already their chief at the time, took Paul under his wing.

"And it turns out he and I have a great deal in common."

"What, like rampant alcoholism?" Emmet said with a grin.

"Cheeky brat!" Paul remarked, frowning. "No, I mean in looks and charm. And the fact that we're both likable and charismatic. Plus, we're both very famous."

"You're certainly not modest" Caroline muttered.

"Anyway," Paul continued with a warning glare at Caroline, "we ended up getting along really well and I became Jack's second-in-command. We were there for several weeks until you guys..."

"What are you doing?!"

The story was interrupted by the sound of Barbossa's voice. They looked down to see him and Jack in the midst of an argument. The crew continued with their work but occasionally glanced in the direction of the captains, hoping to catch a word or two.

"Captain gives orders on the ship" Jack said.

"The captain o' the ship _IS _givin' orders!" Barbossa pointed out.

Gibbs sighed. "Oh lord, they're at it again."

"Again?" Michael raised an eyebrow. "You mean they're always like this."

"More than I'd like" Gibbs answered.

The two captains continued to argue when they were suddenly interrupted by Pintel's shrill voice. "Stow it! The both o' you! That's an order! Understand?!" All activity on the ship ceased as everyone stared at Pintel, as if he had suddenly grown another head. Pintel suddenly grew sheepish as he realised his mistake and gave a nervous smile. "Sorry! I just thought, with the captain issue in doubt, I'd throw in my name for consideration. Sorry" he apologised.

"Uh, guys" Caroline called to them. "I think you should see this".

Barbossa and Jack hurried up to the helm, elbowing each other out of the way. Caroline handed them a telescope which Barbossa managed to grab first, much to Jack's annoyance. Peering through the glass, he spotted a ship on the horizon. Although it was a fair distance away, he could easily make out the familiar grey, fraying sails. "The Flying Dutchman" he said ominously.

Jack snatched the telescope from Barbossa's hand and looked through it. "She's coming up hard to starboard!"

"What does that mean?" Michael asked.

"It means they're heading straight towards us!" Gibbs explained. "Jack. If I may, perhaps it's time we embraced the oldest and noblest of pirate traditions."

"Which is...?"

"Making a run for it."

"That sounds very sensible" Paul commented. "What do you think, Sparrow?"

Jack was silent for a moment, as if deep in thought, then replied "Never actually been one for tradition." Ignoring the confused stares of his crew, Jack descended the steps to the deck, closely followed by Barbossa and Gibbs, and began shouting orders. "Close haul her! Luff the sails and lay her in irons!"

"Belay that!" Barbossa yelled. "Or we'll be a sittin' duck."

"Belay that 'Belay that'" Jack yelled back.

"But Jack..." Gibbs beseeched.

"Belay."

"But the Dutch-"

"Stow! Shut it."

"Enough!" Caroline interrupted. "I have an idea on how we can defeat them."

"Can you guarantee it will work?" asked Paul.

Caroline bit her lower lip. "No" she said after a brief silence. "But we have to at least try."


End file.
